HOUSTON – On the heels of the Arizona State Sun Devils’ 24-14 win at No. 16 Kansas State, Sun Devils’ head coach Kenny Dillingham has been selected as the Bear Bryant Awards Fan Favorite Coach of the Week presented by Accenture.
Dillingham is the first coach from the Big 12 Conference to be selected this season.
Arizona State controlled the game from the beginning, racing out to a 21-0 halftime lead and leading 24-0 before Kansas State got on the board with 2:51 to play in the third quarter. The halftime lead was ASU’s largest halftime advantage against a ranked opponent since 2014, when the then-ninth-ranked Sun Devils held a 24-point lead over Notre Dame.
The Sun Devils became the first team to beat Kansas State in Manhattan this season, and just the fourth in the last three seasons. The win keeps ASU within a game of second place in the Big 12 standings, and was the Sun Devils’ first road win against an opponent ranked in the College Football Playoff weekly rankings – and just the fourth win over a CFP-ranked team overall.
ASU is now 2-0 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25.
Sam Leavitt connected on 21 of 34 passes for 275 yards and three scores in the win, most frequently finding Jordyn Tyson, who hauled in 12 passes for 176 yards and a pair of scores.
The selection of Dillingham follows last week’s selection of Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, the co-selection of Texas A&M’s Mike Elko and Kennesaw State’s Brian Bohannon, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, and Washington State’s Jake Dickert. Continuing through the remainder of the regular season, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards will recognize a coach weekly for leading their team to an exceptional victory.
The American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, presents the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, to honor Coach Bryant’s legacy and to raise awareness and critical funds for their mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement.
Fans can follow the action at facebook.com/bryantawards, x.com/bryantawards or Instagram.com/bryantawards or the hashtag #BryantAwards. To attend the exclusive, VIP experience visit bryantawards.org.
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